The finest clothing made is a person’s skin,

but, of course,

society demands something more than this.

~Mark Twain

I find back-to-school clothes shopping to be ridiculous. When I was young, and my September Seventeen magazine would arrive, all hundred pounds of it stuffed full of back-to-school layouts, I was totally baffled. Did people’s parents really take them out shopping for a whole new wardrobe each year, bullied by a date on the calendar? Insanity.

Granted, I went to Catholic school for 12 years, and I wore a uniform that I both loathed (scratchy brown plaid jumpers or skirts, gold or white collared shirts, brown knee high socks) and loved (hid coffee stains better than anything else I have ever owned, did not require forethought of any kind in the morning).

My kids do not attend Catholic school, and they do not have a uniform, and their dress code is very lax- the only rule that comes to mind as ever being enforced is that shoes have to have a back (so when girls wear Crocs the strap has to behind the heel. I don’t know why I’m telling you this).

But am I taking them out to buy new clothes because the first day of school looms on the horizon? Oh, hells no. They have plenty of clothes that fit them just fine.

With all this talk of how poorly everyone’s family budget is faring, I have to hope this is one yearly tradition that people will rethink. You don’t need to buy back-to-school items just because there are back-to-school sales.

The weather is still warm- 90 degrees here today in sunny PA- their summer clothes will do for at least another month, at which point these fall items will be going on clearance to make room for winter jackets and boots.

Here’s the few additions I’ll tack on to get us through until Christmas, when they’ll receive whatever they need to get through the winter. Most selections are from the Gap, as I find their clothes hold their shape, last a long time and aren’t too fashion-y (i.e. quickly dated, limiting hand-me-down potential). Also, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who took advantage of the awesome Gap groupon deal yesterday!

As much as I’d like to do organic for all the kids’ clothing, they grow out of everything/beat them up so badly so quickly I can’t justify the cost. If you know of any reasonably priced organic clothing companies, shoot me an email and I’ll change my wicked ways.

Plain long-sleeve T in black and gray.

Get as much play out of all those clever short sleeve Ts you can’t resist during the summer, by layering them over a long sleeve shirt. (Some places actually sell tshirts with the long sleeve built in, which makes zero sense to me.)

Gap sells good sturdy long sleeve Ts and they’re only $9 when you buy 2 or more. When the season’s over, cut into short sleeves and iron on an appliqué, or use as a shorty pajama top.

Leggings

I favor leggings over tights, as they are sturdier and warmer. Only little girls can really pull off the dress-leggings-mary janes or boots look, I think.

I am always tempted by the stripey leggings, but since Cassidy’s dresses tend to be patterned, black or gray make more sense (and are cheaper, too).

Sweater Dress

I buy one sweater dress every year from Gap Kids, and I’ll tell you why. They are indestructible and they are roomy. They tend to fall somewhere around just-below-the-knee, with long loose sleeves, and Cass has worn these for three years running: first as a long dress as intended, then as a shorter dress with leggings, then as a 3/4 sleeve tunic sweater with jeans. And then I hand them down to another little girl and they still look awesome.

I really love this year’s sweater dress! Very Audrey Hepburn.

I should note, I do buy the dress early in the season because they tend to run out of sizes. But I don’t give it to Cass until Christmas.

Generic Hoodie

This is pretty much what serves as a fall jacket for my kids- they go straight from hoodie to snow coat. I buy them at least a size big to get two years+ out of them. Cass still has a couple from last year (hand me downs, hoodies that are broken in are perfectly acceptable). One is on the smallish side, but I like the look of a shrunken hoodie over a long sleeve T, as worn by our secret-telling model here.

While looking for that photo I discovered that Gap hoodies are 30% off online and in store until August 24th. Just FYI.

Shoes

I have the world’s slowest growing daughter, so I don’t need to buy her any shoes. Overall we’re a black Converse kind of family, and then Cass has these Keen winter Mary Janes for dressing up and  for inclement weather. I love that combination in a shoe.

I got them for dirt cheap from 6pm.com and they appear to be a good, quality shoe.  She’s been wearing them around already in spite of the faux shearling inners; she claims they’re really comfortable and whatever, I guess I have no choice but to believe her.

My boys, on the other hand, have been outgrowing shoes like crazy, so we’re sticking with reasonably priced Converse for now. Jacob’s next pair of shoes will be the same size Jeff and I wear (yes, I have giantess feet and wear the same size as my husband) so I’m thinking he’ll be getting a pair of Doc Martens boots- stylish, hard-wearing, all-weather and can be handed down to me 🙂

P.S. I give my kids shoes for Christmas. And winter coats. Is that wrong?

Do you feel pressured to buy, buy, buy at back-to-school time?

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

~Audrey Hepburn

I love Audrey.

Yesterday, for my last-minute impromptu Fashion Friday post, I mentioned that I was considering buying the Uniform Project LBD- little black dress. So cute, with its little Peter Pan collar; I felt like I’d be channeling a little Audrey every time I put it on. I went searching for a picture of her in a similar dress.

Along the way I found a few other dresses that I feel also evoke the lovely lady, the style icon that puts all other style icons to shame. And I wanted to share, because they’re all so lovely and I’m really just in a very Audrey mood at the moment.

Dress shabbily and they remember the dress;

dress impeccably and they remember the woman.

~Coco Chanel

Audrey was impeccable.

Anyway.

I love this dress, the Oh La La, at Shabby Apple. I love Shabby Apple in general, for window-shopping anyway. I haven’t yet taken the plunge to purchasing. Vintage inspired and you can search by body type, MY KIND OF SITE. They’re currently running a sale on most items, 20% off of most items with code Summer20. OH LA LA.

This one, La Tour Eiffel, would probably suit me better. I don’t really wear red.

Yes, I’m cowardly, but I’m also practical.

Don’t buy clothes you like to look at, buy what you’ll wear.

They remind me of this outfit. The shirt was recently sold at auction, how I wish I was made of money, to own some of Audrey’s clothes!

I came across a fantastic “green vintage” site called Zuburbia. Green because it’s vintage, right? Oh no! SO MUCH MORE.

• Eco-dry cleaning and laundering with eco-detergents
• Free carbon neutral ground shipping
• Ten trees planted with every order
• 1% for the Planet member
• Recycled packaging materials
• 20% of all fur and reptile sales donated to animal activist charities

AND with each item purchased they will:

• Plant ten trees in Haiti
• Provide a child with clean drinking water for one year
• Provide lunch to four hungry children

Zuburbia is seriously awesome, why can’t every company operate this way?

At Zuburbia my friend Danielle liked this “cupcake dress” in tulle:

Too “pretty” for me, I can’t pull that off. Plus it’s white and I’m known for dribbling my drinks down my chin. But it does have that Audrey feel:

(That dress also sold at auction. Can you imagine owning that piece of fashion history?)

This was the dress that I was immediately drawn to.

At first I thought it was because it reminded me of Audrey:

Hmmm. Maybe not. Maybe it reminds me more of me, circa 1994:

Yeah… I’ll admit to channeling a little Audrey now and then.

Yes? No? Somewhere I have photos of the back of that dress.

Here’s the thing. I am socially inept. I have a slight stutter that resurfaces when I am nervous. When I need to go somewhere fancy, or somewhere where I don’t know anyone, I tend to dress in character. Often Audrey, sometimes that other wonderful Hepburn, Katherine. It makes me, ironically, less self-conscious, my speech more fluid. Am I the only one who does this?

Next week I go to BlogHer in New York City, the big convention for women bloggers. If you’re there and you see an Asian chick dressed as a Hepburn, it’s probably me, and I’m probably dying inside. Be gentle.

Who inspires you to be more like your best self?

I believe in pink.
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

~Audrey Hepburn